Radiator is the second studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Super Furry Animals. It was released in August 1997 by Creation Records, and later the same year in the United States under Flydaddy Records. It peaked at number eight on the UK Albums Chart.[3] In 2005, it was reissued with a bonus disc of other tracks from the time.
Singer Gruff Rhys has described Radiator as "more interesting" than the band's debut Fuzzy Logic with the group taking advantage of producer Gorwel Owen's "Atari computers, and banks of old vintage synths" to create an album which was "musically ... much more adventurous".[4] In 2013, NME ranked it at number 92 in its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[5]
Release and reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [7] |
| The Guardian | [8] |
| Mojo | [9] |
| NME | 9/10[10] |
| Pitchfork | 8.6/10[11] |
| Q | [12] |
| Record Collector | [13] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [14] |
| Uncut | 9/10[15] |
In 2000 Q magazine placed Radiator at number 73 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. Stylus Magazine named Radiator in a list of ten essential albums released by Creation Records in a 2003 article about the label.[16] In a 2017 list of the 50 Best Britpop Albums, Pitchfork placed Radiator at number 39.[17] In 2013, NME ranked it at number 92 in its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[18]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Super Furry Animals.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Furryvision™" (Instrumental) | 1:25 |
| 2. | "The Placid Casual" | 2:49 |
| 3. | "The International Language of Screaming" | 2:14 |
| 4. | "Demons" | 5:12 |
| 5. | "Short Painkiller" (Instrumental) | 0:38 |
| 6. | "She's Got Spies" | 4:43 |
| 7. | "Play It Cool" | 3:16 |
| 8. | "Hermann ♥'s Pauline" | 4:43 |
| 9. | "Chupacabras" | 1:26 |
| 10. | "Torra Fy Ngwallt Yn Hir" | 1:54 |
| 11. | "Bass Tuned to D.E.A.D" | 3:20 |
| 12. | "Down a Different River" | 5:37 |
| 13. | "Download" | 3:19 |
| 14. | "Mountain People" | 6:14 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mu-Tron" | 3:15 |
| 2. | "nO.K" | 2:12 |
| 3. | "Foxy Music" | 3:49 |
| 4. | "Hit & Run" | 3:29 |
| 5. | "Wrap It Up" | 3:25 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Smokin’" | 5:05 |
| 16. | "Ice Hockey Hair" | 6:57 |
| 17. | "Mu-Tron" | 3:15 |
| 18. | "Let’s Quit Smoking" | 1:48 |
| 19. | "Smoke" | 4:00 |
| 20. | "Dim Ysmygu (Alternate Mix of 'Smoke')" | 3:00 |
| 21. | "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" | 8:00 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cryndod Yn Dy Lais" | 3:14 |
| 2. | "Hit and Run" | 3:30 |
| 3. | "Foxy Music" | 3:50 |
| 4. | "Pass the Time" | 3:50 |
| 5. | "Calimero" | 2:23 |
| 6. | "(untitled)" | 3:48 |
| 7. | "Carry the Can" | 4:46 |
| 8. | "Wrap It Up" | 3:29 |
| 9. | "Trons Mr. Urdd" | 4:39 |
| 10. | "nO.K / Frosty Night in Gothenberg" | 4:58 |
| 11. | "Play It Cool (Original U.K. LP Mix)" | 3:17 |
| 12. | "SFA Theme (Demo, Big Noise Studios, Cardiff, 16.12.96 - 19.12.96)" | 0:26 |
| 13. | "The International Language of Screaming (Demo, Big Noise Studios, Cardiff, 16.12.96 - 19.12.96)" | 1:12 |
| 14. | "Torra Fy Ngwallt Yn Hir (Demo, Big Noise Studios, Cardiff, 16.12.96 - 19.12.96)" | 2:08 |
| 15. | "Down a Different River (Demo, Big Noise Studios, Cardiff, 16.12.96 - 19.12.96)" | 4:28 |
| 16. | "She's Got Spies (Demo, Big Noise Studios, Cardiff, 16.12.96 - 19.12.96)" | 4:33 |
| 17. | "Hit and Run (Demo, Big Noise Studios, Cardiff, 16.12.96 - 19.12.96)" | 3:37 |
| 18. | "Mountain People (Demo, Big Noise Studios, Cardiff, 16.12.96 - 19.12.96)" | 4:02 |
| 19. | "Play It Cool (Demo, Big Noise Studios, Cardiff, 16.12.96 - 19.12.96)" | 3:49 |
| 20. | "Bass Tuned to D.E.A.D. (Demo, Big Noise Studios, Cardiff, 16.12.96 - 19.12.96)" | 3:17 |
| 21. | "Naff Gan (Demo, Big Noise Studios, Cardiff, 16.12.96 - 19.12.96)" | 3:48 |
| 22. | "The Placid Casual (Demo, Big Noise Studios, Cardiff, 16.12.96 - 19.12.96)" | 3:29 |
| 23. | "Music Box (Demo, Big Noise Studios, Cardiff, 16.12.96 - 19.12.96)" | 3:12 |
- Some American releases were packaged with Out Spaced, the band's 1998 B-sides collection.
Personnel
- Gruff Rhys – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, Moog, claps
- Huw Bunford – electric guitar, backing vocals
- Cian Ciaran – electronics, Rhodes piano, piano, backing vocals, claps
- Guto Pryce – bass, sub-bass, claps
- Dafydd Ieuan – drums, percussion, backing vocals, piano
- Les Morrison – banjo (on "Demons")
- Gorwel Owen – E-Bow, samples, electric harpsichord, backwards Rhodes
- Martin Smith – trumpet
- Simon James – tenor sax and flute
- Andrew Frizzell – trombone and alto sax
- The Electra Strings:
- Sonia Slany – violin
- Jules Singleton – violin
- Clair Arster – viola
- Dinah Beamish – cello
References
- ^ "Best Alternative Rock Albums of 1997 | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
- ^ "The Best Neo-Psychedelia Albums of the 1990s". Album of The Year. Retrieved 2019-09-27.
- ^ "Super Furry Animals". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 17 February 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
- ^ Martin, Piers (April 2008). "Album by album: Super Furry Animals". Uncut (131): 70–72.
- ^ Rocklist.net NME: The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time : October 2013
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Radiator – Super Furry Animals". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Super Furry Animals". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
- ^ Bennun, David (22 August 1997). "Furry box of delights". The Guardian.
- ^ Prior, Clive (September 2017). "Super Furry Animals: Radiator". Mojo (286): 107.
- ^ Cameron, Keith (23 August 1997). "Super Furry Animals – Radiator". NME. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- ^ Hogan, Marc (6 June 2005). "Super Furry Animals: Fuzzy Logic / Radiator / Out Spaced / Guerilla / Mwng". Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- ^ Catchpole, Chris (September 2017). "Super Furry Animals: Radiator". Q (376): 119.
- ^ Rathbone, Oregano (September 2017). "Super Furry Animals – Radiator". Record Collector (470). Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ McLeod, Kembrew (2004). "Super Furry Animals". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). London: Fireside Books. p. 796. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Pinnock, Tom (September 2017). "Super Furry Animals: Radiator". Uncut (244): 53.
- ^ Plagenhoef, Scott (1 September 2003). "Creation Records – Label Profile". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
- ^ "The 50 Best Britpop Albums". Pitchfork. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ Rocklist.net NME: The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time : October 2013
External links
- Radiator at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)